The present invention relates generally to storage lockers, and more particularly, to lockers having unique material composition and assembly features.
Storage lockers, which are also sometimes referred to as gym lockers or simply "lockers", are commonly found in many different settings. For example, athletic facilities have lockers to allow athletes to store their possessions while participating in athletic events. Community swimming pools typically have lockers for storing street clothes while a person swims. Lockers are also found in industry where they are used for several purposes, such as the storage of equipment, work clothes, chemicals, and other items which are preferably kept in such a concealed environment when not in use. Lockers are also commonly found in airports, hospitals, school hallways, prisons, and many other sites too numerous to mention.
Historically, lockers have been made of sheet metal construction and metal fasteners with a front door that swings open. Although the term locker is commonly used not all lockers actually lock shut, although locking devices are routinely found on doors of lockers.
Existing lockers suffer from several disadvantages. Due to metal construction, known lockers are frequently relatively heavy. Known lockers frequently require many hours of labor to assemble. Known lockers are easily damaged or marred in some way such as by dents, scratches, rust, odors, graffiti, delaminated and fading.
A need exists for a locker that is designed to overcome the aforementioned disadvantages of known lockers. The present invention is a primarily plastic locker construction. The sides, top, bottom, rear, and front panels of the locker of the present invention may all be made of a plastic material. In one preferred embodiment of the present invention the entire locker, including the hinges, fasteners, and joints are entirely plastic. In other embodiments of the present invention the panels are of a plastic material while the joints and hinges may be of non-plastic material. Several beneficial features of the locker of the present invention may be achieved that were not previously available in other locker constructions. While the present invention provides several unique advantages, it may also incorporate several of the previously known locker features such as shelves, a front door that swings open, and locks on the door if preferred.
The locker of the present invention may be assembled without tools and may be knocked-down for shipment into a plurality of generally flat panel sections. Thus, shipping the locker will not include shipping of vast amounts of cubic feet of air which is the case with lockers that do not comprise a knock-down construction. Further, the locker of the present invention is relatively easy to repair. If a panel is in need of replacement it is simply removed and a new panel maybe snapped into place.
Due to the primarily plastic construction, the locker of the present invention will not rust at all if the entire locker is plastic and will be extremely rust resistant even if some metal fasteners are used. The locker of the present invention will not dent in its main body panels as will known metal lockers. The locker of the present invention will maintain its color throughout the entire cross-section of each panel. In a preferred embodiment the panels are not painted but are colorfast from the factory. Due to the homogenious nature of the plastic panels the lockers of the present invention will not delaminate. Furthermore, most materials used in the application of graffiti are readily removed from plastic panels to return the panels to their original surface appearance.
The lockers of the present invention may be constructed with several different densities of plastic material to provide the capability of varying the weight of the overall locker in accordance with the purchaser's particular use for the lockers. For example, the military may desire lockers on ships to be as lightweight as possible. By varying the density of each panel the overall locker weight may be reduced.